<p>It's the familiar things in life that too seldom are appreciated. Here's a list of a few things we appreciate, to get you started this Thanksgiving Day ...</p><p>Friends and family.</p><p>Good health.</p><p>Hot coffee and the news: paper or digital.</p><p>Herald-Tribune readers -- for 87 years.</p><p>Free elections.</p><p>The end of costly campaigns.</p><p>Sunrise.</p><p>Sunset.</p><p>Warm sunshine.</p><p>Cool breezes.</p><p>Appetites big enough for a huge turkey.</p><p>Food for the hungry.</p><p>Grace.</p><p>Fine wine, cold beer and sweet tea.</p><p>New experiences.</p><p>Fond memories.</p><p>Vibrant cities.</p><p>Verdant landscapes.</p><p>Main streets.</p><p>Country roads.</p><p>A car that starts.</p><p>Bicycles.</p><p>Playgrounds and parks.</p><p>Beaches and lakes.</p><p>Long and winding trails.</p><p>Shade trees and seedlings.</p><p>Community gardens.</p><p>Farms, and farmworkers.</p><p>Wildlife and pets.</p><p>Animal-rescuers.</p><p>Snooty the manatee -- at 64.</p><p>Rain when we need it.</p><p>Blue skies when we want them.</p><p>Rainbows when we least expect them.</p><p>Ducks on a pond.</p><p>Birds in the air.</p><p>Critters on the ground.</p><p>Florida Crackers.</p><p>Snowbirds.</p><p>Tourists, all year round.</p><p>Spring training.</p><p>Fall practice.</p><p>Jobs.</p><p>Signs of recovery.</p><p>Entrepreneurs.</p><p>Businesses that endure.</p><p>Public servants.</p><p>Social safety nets.</p><p>Parents who read to their children.</p><p>Children who love to read.</p><p>Old books.</p><p>New tablets.</p><p>The First Amendment.</p><p>Life.</p><p>Liberty.</p><p>Honest debate.</p><p>Americans in the armed services.</p><p>Americans in the Peace Corps.</p><p>Service workers who smile.</p><p>Customers who smile back.</p><p>Caregivers of all kinds.</p><p>Volunteers.</p><p>Bestest friends.</p><p>Grandparents, in memory or in person.</p><p>First dates.</p><p>Anniversaries.</p><p>Bright futures.</p><p>Legacies.</p><p>Little giggles.</p><p>Big laughs.</p><p>Tears of joy.</p><p>The Season of Sharing.</p><p>The other seasons.</p><p>Sports played well.</p><p>Games played for fun.</p><p>Teachers whose lessons last a lifetime.</p><p>Police, and lawyers, when you need them.</p><p>Honest mechanics.</p><p>Patient doctors and nurses.</p><p>Patients who beat the odds.</p><p>Libraries, public or private.</p><p>Universities and colleges -- in our towns.</p><p>Novelists and poets.</p><p>Scientists and mathematicians.</p><p>Parades.</p><p>High school bands.</p><p>Garage bands.</p><p>Orchestras.</p><p>Church choirs.</p><p>School concerts.</p><p>Soloists.</p><p>Community theater.</p><p>Broadway on tour.</p><p>Festivals, music and art.</p><p>Stereos that don't go thump in the night.</p><p>Museums.</p><p>Peace and quiet.</p><p>Leaping mullet.</p><p>Grasshoppers.</p><p>Orange blossoms.</p><p>Changing tides.</p><p>Opportunity.</p><p>Challenges.</p><p>Lifetime achievements.</p><p>Potential.</p><p>Progress.</p><p>Miracle drugs.</p><p>Home remedies.</p><p>Beautiful buildings.</p><p>Native landscapes.</p><p>Drivers who stop on red.</p><p>Sacrificial givers.</p><p>Service clubs.</p><p>Servant leaders.</p><p>Collaborators.</p><p>Nice neighbors.</p><p>Kind strangers.</p><p>Dreamers.</p><p>Doers.</p><p>Innovators.</p><p>Traditionalists.</p><p>Young mavericks.</p><p>Old souls.</p><p>Pals who remember.</p><p>People who forgive and forget.</p><p>Unity.</p><p>Faith, hope and love.</p><p>Gratitude.</p>